I had some help in the shop today. We are building a toy box. Perfect timing so Bella could help with some of the gluing. She got her first experience at driving pocket screws, and did a god job. Her little hand just barely fits the handle to press the trigger. :-)

Great pictures, Mike. Those are the best times, its great that they got the bug!

My kids are 1 and almost 3, so they’re limited as to what they can do, but I make sure that on each project, I bring my daughter out to drive a screw or hammer a nail, so that she can proudly tell people that she helped build it.

Home Depot does the free kids’ workshops, I usually show up the day before and ask for a free kit (or 3, if friends are coming over) to take home. They always oblige. Then we can do them at home on our time, with her tools.

When I completed my first real woodworking bench, a laminated douglas fir top, dog holes, vises, the works, I was so proud. I figured what better first project to break it in than to do one of those free kits with my daughter. So we started, and at one point I ended up with a piece on the bench with a hold down, and she was to drive a nail in it. I started the nail, and gave her the hammer (a little 4oz hammer). Well, being 2.5 at the time, and her motor skills still in development, she took off hammering away as hard as she could…missing the nail, and the workpiece. I have about 1/2 dozen dings in my benchtop that’s about 6 months old, and every time I see them it makes me smile.

P.S. Love the shirt. It’s great when kids believe you can fix anything.

-- - The mightiest oak in the forest is just a little nut that held its ground.

Wonderful pictures, the smiles on all the faces are proof that woodworking is fun as well as useful. Thankyou for sharing. When the kids are in the shop all tools except the one we are using are unplugged.

Mike,Here's the link to show you what’s going on. For us, it’s typically the first Saturday of the month. If you show up on Friday evening they usually are getting the stuff ready, and someone will go back and grab one for you. I once went in at like 1 PM on Friday and they guy had to get a pallet down with all the stuff, just to get me 3 kits. But, I figure it was coming down anyways and was very thankful to him.

I like to get the project to-go. Often we have something going on that morning, we like to go out to breakfast on Saturdays as well. And, the setup (plywood on sawhorses and such) is ergonomically way too big for a 3 year-old, and way to small for a 33 year old. The hammers are too big for her, it’s loud because there’s usually 20 kids nailing away, and there’s usually a paint station that makes for more work (have to clean her up before she gets in my truck, and have to wrap the project so it doesn’t get on the upholstery or something). Also, the potty is on the other side of the store, which is a big deal right now.

Plus, I think we both find it more enjoyable to work in a quiet environment, where the workbench is tall enough for me, and she can sit on it. And, we don’t have to complete the whole project in one sitting if she gets bored. And if we do paint, I can hose her down in the back yard.

-- - The mightiest oak in the forest is just a little nut that held its ground.